A month-by-month view of a four-season garden

Designing a garden that provides beauty and interest throughout all four seasons is a gardener’s dream. It often takes years of trial and error (not to mention weeding, watering and soil preparation) and experimenting with different plants and conditions to achieve this often elusive goal.

Master Gardener Alice Levien of Cutchogue has met the challenge and created a garden full of pleasing plant combinations, providing year-round visual enjoyment.

From trees and shrubs to ground covers and flowering perennials, combined in a multitude of ways, Alice’s garden is an inspiration. She has documented her garden in monthly photographs. One particular view was chosen to demonstrate how a garden can hold appeal and draw you in, even in January and February.

The ongoing focal point of this particular view is the crab apple tree, whose twisting branches add visual interest even in the coldest months.